Microsoft KB Archive/218398

Knowledge Base

OL2000: Message or Notes Field Lost Using Custom Form

Article ID: 218398

Article Last Modified on 9/29/2003

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APPLIES TO

• Microsoft Outlook 2000 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q218398

SYMPTOMS

You add text to the Message or Notes field on a custom Outlook form, but the text later disappears when you use the form.

CAUSE

This problem only occurs when your default folders are located in a Personal Folders file (.pst). It does not occur when your default folders are located on a Microsoft Exchange Server mailbox.

RESOLUTION

To avoid this problem, use any of the following methods:

• Add the following Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript) code to the form to automatically "dirty" the Message or Notes field:

  Sub Item_Write()
     Item.Body = Item.Body
  End Sub
                          

  
  WARNING: This approach results in the Message or Notes field reverting to plain text and losing all rich text formatting.
  
  -or-

• Make changes the Message or Notes field when using the form.
  
  -or-
• Use a Microsoft Exchange Server mailbox instead of a Personal Folders file for your default set of folders.

MORE INFORMATION

This problem occurs with all types of forms. Unlike other fields on an Outlook form, the Message or Notes field is designed to store rich text.

Steps to Reproduce Problem

1. Make sure that Outlook is configured to deliver incoming mail to a Personal Folders file (*.PST) and not a Microsoft Exchange mailbox.
2. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Mail Message.
3. Type some text into both the Subject and Message fields.
4. On the Tools menu, point to Form and then click Publish Form. Change Look In to your Inbox, type a Display name for the form, and then click Publish.
5. Close and do not save changes to the form.
6. On the Actions menu, click New <formname>, where <formname> is the display name you specified in the previous step.
7. Make a change to the subject of the mail message, but do not change the Message field.
8. Close the mail message and save changes when prompted to do so.
9. Open the mail message from the Drafts folder and the Message field will be blank.

REFERENCES

For additional information about using the Message field on a custom form, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

201105 OL2000: Working With the Message or Body of an Outlook Item

For additional information about available resources and answers to commonly asked questions about Microsoft Outlook 2000 solutions, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

146636 OL2000: Questions About Custom Forms and Outlook Solutions

Additional query words: OutSol OutSol2000 OL2K ol97 ol98

Keywords: kbbug kbnofix KB218398

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